Why isn’t Julius Randle playing for the Knicks against the Pacers in Game 6?

NY Knicks fans are poised to crack out the champagne, as for the first time in 24 years, their team stands just one win away from reaching the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2000.

The task will be far from easy with the Pacers winning both home games in the series to date with another packed house set to make the Gainbridge Fieldhouse an intense Indianapolis cauldron.

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Having said that, second-seeded Knicks are just one win away from the finals and will be hugely boosted by the manner in which they swept the Pacers aside at the Garden in Game 5 with a comprehensive 121-91 win.

“We still need one more win so we can’t get too excited about it,” Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. “We have to understand what we need to do, stay focused on the task at hand. If you feel good about yourself you get knocked down in this league. We’ve got to be ready to go.”

New York star guard Jalen Brunson sunk 44 points in Game 5 and is averaging 32 points in the series while dealing with a foot injury. He also called on the Knicks to stay grounded.

“I think as a team, no matter what the situation is, we have the same mindset no matter what,” Brunson said. “And regardless of how I’m feeling or someone else is feeling, we know what’s at stake, we know what we have to do and we’re going to figure it out.”

The Knicks have wiggle room but neither Thibodeau nor Brunson want to see the series go back home for a Game 7 on Sunday.

“I think the most important thing is to not get lost in the hyperbole and the distractions and focus and lock into the task at hand, which is winning the game,” Thibodeau said. “So put the necessary work into it and don’t get lost.”

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Knicks injury concerns

Knicks forward OG Anunoby will miss his fourth straight Game due to a hamstring injury sustained in Game 2.

The Knicks have once again been forced to name Julius Randle (right shoulder surgery) on their injured list with the curtain coming down on Randle’s season last April when he was forced to have surgery on a persistent shoulder problem

Mitchell Robinson with a left ankle issue and Bojan Bogdanovic with a foot problem have also been sidelined by the Knicks for the remainder of the season.